Iran International
Tehran’s fraught relationship with the UN nuclear watchdog is set to enter a more confrontational phase as the IAEA Board of Governors meets in Vienna this week to vote on a Western-backed resolution censuring Iran for non-cooperation.
The looming vote has triggered a flurry of warnings and condemnations in Tehran, revealing both anxiety over renewed pressure and the contradictions at the heart of Iran’s dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency and its director, Rafael Grossi.
Since the 12-day war with Israel, Iranian officials have accused Grossi of siding with the West, politicizing the agency’s mission and even spying for Israel and the United States.
Yet they also acknowledge that Grossi remains a crucial mediator whose cooperation—and potential endorsement—is essential if Tehran is to prove its nuclear program is peaceful and ease the standoff.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but Israel and Western countries doubt its intentions.
‘Mossad spy’
Tensions typically sharpen when Grossi adopts a firmer tone or when Tehran sees his actions as politically driven.
The tone changed dramatically after Israeli and US strikes on Iranian facilities in June 2025, when Tehran faulted Grossi for refusing to condemn the attacks and accused him of helping pave the way through “biased” reporting.
Iran’s parliament followed by approving legislation that restricts cooperation with the IAEA unless individually cleared by the government, while hardline outlets such as Kayhan—closely tied to the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—branded Grossi a “Mossad spy.”
Nevertheless, cooperation continued, culminating in a September meeting in Cairo where Grossi and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signed an agreement whose details remain undisclosed and contested.
Grossi, for his part, has sought to keep diplomacy alive while castigating Tehran for “totally unsatisfactory” cooperation—yet stopping short of referring Iran to the UN Security Council.
He has stressed repeatedly that “war does not justify an end to cooperation,” framing that stance as central to his mandate.
‘Crossroads’
With the United States and the E3 preparing a resolution for the 19–21 November meeting in Vienna, Tehran appears intent on lowering the temperature.
Iranian officials have denounced the draft text as “political and destructive,” warning it would complicate relations with the West and obstruct negotiations.
Iran’s UN envoy Reza Najafi urged IAEA members to reject the resolution, while spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said Tehran might reassess its cooperation, potentially reducing collaboration and increasing enrichment levels.
Despite the heated rhetoric, Tehran seems acutely aware that it still needs Grossi’s public confirmation that its program is exclusively peaceful.
Araghchi and his deputies told a conference that Iran is not currently enriching uranium. But the moderate daily Arman Melli quoted him on Tuesday as saying that enrichment will continue.
Arman Melli added that “Iran’s nuclear dossier has entered a new phase, and new international reactions could alter the course of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.”
